Rival GM's stunning quote could open door for Orioles in Juan Soto sweepstakes

Juan Soto is expected to command a massive payday in free agency this winter. It's possible that the superstar lefty could reach a deal worth over $600 million, which would leave but a small handful of teams vying for his services.

It was reported earlier this fall that the Orioles could sneak into the mix, thanks in large part to new owner David Rubenstein's apparent willingness to open the checkbook and remove the tight budget restrictions that GM Mike Elias has been operating under.

While the Orioles may have been seen as a long shot to land Soto, his market might have gotten a bit smaller after Phillies' GM Dave Dombrowski's latest comments.

Philly has long been expected to be a player for Soto. They're one of the few teams in MLB that's shown a willingness to spend far and above the CBT cap, and Dombrowski is well known as a gunslinger who's more focused on the present than the future. Soto would fit on that roster for a number of reasons, not least of which being Philly's recent failure in the postseason.

Could the Orioles take the Phillies' place in the Juan Soto sweepstakes this winter?

On Tuesday, however, Dombrowski told the Philadelphia media that he doesn't think the Phillies need any more star players. The quote was in reference to a question about the team's plans to address the roster this winter.

Dombrowski is probably right in the fact that the Phillies have a loaded roster. Their outfield is filled with guys who aren't great fielders and despite the fact that Soto is in the running for a Gold Glove award in 2024, the advanced metrics agree that he's a poor defensive outfielder and will likely age into a DH role.

Despite his questionable defense, Soto is among the best hitters in the entire league. He posted an otherworldly .288/.419/.569 slash line with a career-best 41 homers, 128 runs scored, and 109 RBI. His 8.1 fWAR was good for fourth best in the league and lest we forget, he's still just 25 years old.

All of those factors add up to the fact that Soto will be one of the best free agent hitters to enter the market in a long time. He'll be expensive, yes. But he'll almost certainly be worth the cost to acquire him when all is said and done.

If the Phillies feel confident in the team that they have, that's great news for the other teams planning on bidding on Soto's services. Taking one of the more aggressive teams out of the market before the bidding even starts could be a massive win for an Orioles team in desperate need of a star hitter like Soto.